Stringers are structural components that are often used in aircraft and other vehicles to stiffen panels and vehicle skin. While stringers provide adequate reinforcement of the corresponding composite structure with respect to in-plane loads, the stringer runouts, or areas at which the stringers terminate, may experience disbonding or delamination between the stringers and the attached structure under certain conditions. The sudden discontinuity of the load path at the stringer runout location, which may be exposed to high-tension loads, may lead to bondline delamination growth driven by both geometric eccentricities and stringer pull-off forces to the stringer or attached structure.
Conventional solutions that address the load discontinuity with stringer runouts include complex web trim curvatures to decrease the cross-sectional area of the stringer, coupled with the use of radius fillers to mitigate the potential for delamination damage growth. These solutions are typically designed specifically for the loads experienced according to the particular implementation for which the stringer will be utilized. Accordingly, a specific aircraft may utilize numerous stringer designs, which increases part numbers and associated costs.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.